Chrysler, Honda,Toyota sales up in January, Ford falls from year ago

Canadian auto sales rose in January to 95,639 vehicles from 95,306 in the same month in 2013, according to DesRosiers Automotive Consultants.

But the meagre 0.3 per cent increase masked big gains by many import brands, which overall saw January sales increase 8.5 per cent year over year. That compared with an overall 8.1 per cent decrease for the so-called Detroit brands, DesRosiers said.

“January is always a troubling month for vehicle sales and not necessarily just because of the weather,” the consultancy said in a commentary.

It noted that companies can be under tremendous pressure in December to meet specific sales targets and will often go to extraordinary lengths, including the use of aggressive dealer and consumer incentives, to bring sales forward.

“We often see double-digit increases in December as sales are pulled forward followed by double-digit decreases in January when reality sets in,” it said.

Among the Big Three, General Motors of Canada sales were hurt the most, down 20.1 per cent to 10,991 cars and light trucks from 13,761, followed by Ford of Canada, whose January sales were off 10.1 per cent at 14,526 compared with 16,193 last year.

It was the 50th consecutive month of year-over-year sales growth for Chrysler’s Canadian subsidiary, the longest streak in its history.

Toyota Canada was among the import makes that experienced a big improvement, with overall sales across its three brands up 10.6 per cent for the month to 10,439 vehicles, including 3,981 Toyota cars and 5,347 Toyota trucks.

Sales of Toyota’s luxury Lexus brand were up 12.1 per cent at 914, compared with 815 a year ago, while Scion sales totalled 197, down from 290 a year ago.

Honda Canada reported overall sales of 7,732 vehicles, up 7.1 per cent from 7,220 a year ago.

Sales of Honda brand vehicles increased 9.8 per cent to 6,820 vehicles from 6,211 last year, while its luxury Acura division saw sales fall 9.6 per cent to 912 vehicles from 1,009.

Nissan sales rose a whopping 37.1 per cent to 5,624 from 4,101 a year ago, while its luxury Infiniti brand saw sales rise 41.3 per cent to 736 vehicles from 521.

Also doing well was Volkswagen, up 9.2 per cent to 3,683 vehicles from 3,373 and Subaru, up 27.9 per cent at 2,319 from 1,813, while Mazda sales were virtually unchanged, up 0.1 per cent at 3,754 vehicles compared with 3,752 last year.

By contrast, Hyundai sales were off 8.8 per cent at 6,704 from 7,349, although its Kia affiliate saw sales increase 5.7 per cent to 3,883 from 3,673 vehicles.

South of the border, frigid temperatures and snowy weather generally kept buyers away from auto showrooms last month, with Ford, General Motors, Toyota and Volkswagen in the U.S. all reporting declines from a year ago.

But Chrysler, Nissan and Subaru and Hyundai dealers were happy. Sales ran counter to the thermometer and were up for all three brands.

GM said its sales dropped 12 per cent compared with the same month a year earlier, while Ford and Toyota each were down 7 per cent. Volkswagen slumped 19 per cent.

But Chrysler’s U.S. sales advanced 8 per cent, while Nissan’s rose nearly 12 per cent. Subaru saw a 19 per cent increase, and Hyundai reported its best January ever with sales up 1 per cent.

Chrysler, Nissan and Subaru were boosted by new vehicles. Chrysler notched its best January in six years, with Jeep brand sales up 38 per cent on the strength of the new Cherokee small SUVs. Nissan sales gained 11.8 per cent, led by the redesigned Rogue small crossover SUV with sales up 55 per cent. And sales of Subaru’s redesigned Forester SUV jumped 64 per cent over last January.